Tooth cleanse



' March s, 1932. H, R PRlEST 1,848,543

TOOTH CLEANER AND POLISHER Filed May 51, 195o Patented Mar. 8, 1932 HARRY R. PRIEST, F LOUDONVVILLE, OHIO TOOTH CLEANER AND POLISHER Application filed May 31, 1930. Serial No. 458,655.

This invention relates to tooth cleaners and polish-ers and hasfor an object to provide a device of this type in which the cleaner and polisher will have a ball and socket connection with the handle so that the cleaner and polisher may be adjusted to assume various angular positions relatively to the handle whereby the device may be most effectively operated to clean' and polish the teeth.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide a device of this type in which the cleaner and polisher will be` formed with a ball base weighted at the bottom so that the device will remain upright when placed upon a shelf or other support.

A still further object is to provide a tooth cleaner and polisher having a mirror in the handle componentand also having a separate mirror housed within said component and 'removable therefrom, the latter mirror being adapted tobe placed on the tongue, while the former is held so that the image reflected from the mirror on the tongue may clearly visible, and thus proper cleaning as well as inspection of the condition of the teeth readily effected.

A still further obj ect of the invention is to provide a tooth cleaner and polisher in which a plurality of different shaped fibrous bristle 30 elements carried by screw plugs may be selectively assembled with the tooth cleaner and polisher so that a variety of uses may be made of the device while at the saine time re-` newal of worn out brush components will be 5 inexpensive.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a receptacle for dental floss in the weighted ball base of the cleaner and polisher so that all necessary equipment will be assembled in a unitary structure.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations of 4 5 parts'hereinafter fully described and claimed,

it being understood that various modifications inay be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacriiicing any of the advantages 5') of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specication:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved tooth cleaner and polisher and showing by dotted lines two adjusted positions of the brush component in the handle or grip,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the tooth cleaner and polisher and showing the brush component housed in the grip or handle, y

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a flat type of brush component,

Fig. 4l is a detail perspective view showing a wedge type of brush component, and

F ig. 5 is a detail perspective View showing a conical type of brush component.

Referring now to the drawings in vwhich like `characters of reference designates sim-` ilar parts in the various views, 10 designates in general the brushy component and11 the handle or grip component. The brush component is provided with a hollow ball base 12, the bottom 13 of which is weighted. The ballbase is preferably formed in two parts connected together by a screw thread connection 14 whereby a standard tube 15 of dental ioss may be inserted in the hollow base. |The brush component is provided with a slender neck 16 which terminates in a socket 17 to receive the screw plug base 18 which carries the brush 19.

The tubular grip or handle 11 is preferably formed of two parts, 2O and 21, as best shown in Fig. 3, thelatterbeingequippedwith a mirror 22. Housed within the tubular grip is a mirror 23 which is provided with a tubular lbase 24, the same snugly tting within the tubular grip lor handle. The parts 2O and 21 of the grip as well as the base 24 of they separate mirror frictionally iit together so that no screw threads are necessary.

A resilient ring 25 surrounds the end of the handle 11 and the purpose of this ring is to hold the handle, which is somewhat resilnient, snugly against the ball base of the brush component 10 whereby the latter is held firmly against escape when housed in the handle, as shown in Fig. 2, and is frictionally held in the handle as a socket when the ball of the vivbrush component is disposed at any adjusted ,position therein, as shown in Fig. l.

In order to provide various shapes of brushes which may be selectively used for accomplishing diierent cleaningv and polishing operations,in addition to the flat type shown at 19, a wedge brush component 26 is provided, the same having av screw plug base 27, and there is also provided a. conical shaped brush component 28, also having a screw plug base 29. The plug bases of the various shapes of brush components are interchange- Y able in the socket 17, whereby any particulardesired shape may be easily and quickly applied in the socket. This plugv and Asocket feature also permits of easy andinexpensive renewal of worn out brush components.

.Y By referring now to Fig. 1, it will be seen that by virtue of the ball and soeketconnec.- tion lbetween the brush vconneonentand the handlecomponent, the brush component may be adjusted to assume any desired angular position relatively to the handle whereby the Yteeth may be most effectively brushed from the gums to the biting edges.V The ball. and socket connection is v-irtuallya universal joint between Vthe brush component and the l handle component, the partsibeing frictionv Y that the base part 2l of Vthe tubular handle v iS removable to permit removalof theflnirrorV 23. The latter may be placed Vuponl the ally .heldIiogfthtl" by the yring -to resist dislodgementV from any adjustedposition during the cleaning and-polishing eperation.

Byfreferringfnow toFig. 2, it will be seen tongue to reflect they backsof the upper' or Y lower teeth while the mirror 22 is heldin front AQ ftherface at such an angle that 'the reflection a hollow handle forming a socket, and a brush housed in the socket having a shank terminating at oneend in a bristle tuft and terminating atthe opposite end in a ball base frictionally engaged in said socket, said socket and said base Jforming a universal oint when the bristle tutt is exposed externally of the socket to present the brush at various angles with respect to the axis of the socket.

4. A tooth polisher and cleaner co-mprising L v1a hollow handle forming a socket, a brush having a shank terminating at one end in a bristle tutt and terminatingat the opposite ceived; in saidhandle, said ball base being weighted to maintain :the brush upright when detached from said` handle, `said ball base being reversibleinrthe handle to present either the bristle tuftnor thebase `exteri'orly of the handle, and means forrtrictionally holding the ballbase inV either of its reversed positions in the handle'. Y. v

. In testimony'whereofl ailixV signature.

Y HARRY arninsr. [Le] Qffthe `,backs of the teeth may be viewed l and thus inspectionof vthe teeth 'made pos- I sible,

- Any desired type of material be used in the construction of the cleaning ndvbrush-J ing device above described.- g Y A cap'having acutterBO closes the hollow base beyond the tube of vdental floss.

reo

Having lthus described the invention, I claim: N Y Y. 1

. 1 f YA tooth-.polisher and cleaner comprising a handle forming socket, a brush having a ball base trictionally engaged in the socket and adapted to bereversed in the socket, andy c l an external ring` 011 the handle component frictionally holding the brush in either of its reversed positions in the socket; i Y l 2. :A tooth polisher and cleaner' comprising a handle forming a socket, vand a brushhav ing a ball baseV received in said socket,'said ball basebeingformed hollow toY provide a magazine, said base being rictionally en-V gaged in said socket vand beingl also reversible in' said socket'to present the brush externally ofthe socket or thema'gazine externallyl of the socket. c v l l 3. A tooth polisher and cleaner comprising 

